Our logo has evolved with Unbound and now shows people together in a circle, but is there more to it than just that?

Most definitely! Just like the Rorschach test, our logo can be interpreted in many different ways. Read these four other symbols in our logo, which truly show how we are Unbound.

• The cross

At the heart of our logo is a cross made up of human figures. It represents our founding principles and our belief in the dignity of each human person. We honor the individual journeys of faith of all people.

Unbound is rooted in the call to free people from the bonds of poverty, oppression and isolation. We believe that God’s call is a call to freedom in its many forms.

• Walking together

The shapes in the logo can be seen as people, but upon closer observation, shoe prints begin to walk their way into your mind’s eye.

These shoe prints are an important part of our history. Bob Hentzen, our co-founder, completed two walks while he was president: 1. From Kansas City to Guatemala and 2. From Guatemala to Chile, for a total of 12,000 miles.

Bob’s shoes from his Pilgrimage of Faith walk in 1996.

Bob walked these long distances to show families they are not alone, and that we believe in each and every one of them.

The shoe prints also symbolize the walks families and social workers take each day as they go about their work. By remembering their steps, we remember their struggles and hopes for a better future.

• Colors of the world

Instead of heading to the paint store to get some color samples, we decided to think a bit deeper about the colors we wanted to use in the logo.

We were inspired by textile colors from the areas where we work around the world.

Can you spot the colors of our logo in the fabrics worn by these mothers in India?

The diverse and colorful figures represent our belief in the dignity of each person and the beauty of all cultures.

• It’s you and me and everyone

Colorful figures (and shoe prints!) make up the logo, but who are the people they represent?

The figures symbolize a variety of people working with Unbound. They represent mothers forming their local groups. Sponsors and sponsored friends forming a relationship. Sponsored youth mentoring younger sponsored children. Families working together to create a better world.

An Unbound world is one where no one feels alone. We believe each person, working in partnership with others, has the power to change the world.

What other symbols did you notice? Leave us a comment below, and let us know what you find!

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27 thoughts on “4 symbols in Unbound’s logo revealed!”

As a staff member of CFCA/UNBOUND Trichy, India, I do agree the 4 facts of Unbound logo. As the logo and name had been changed i thought initially why should we remove the “Christian”. But when the logo was released and when my mind read that there was a cross and also happy to know that we don’t leave our theological base and still we love to work for all religion and people of the world as Jesus Christ told us ” Love thy Neighbors”

Thank you, Antonio, for your support over the years. We appreciate your concerns. As Unbound, we will continue to maintain the same work and values we carried out as CFCA. The name is the only thing that is changing.

I agree with most of the comments here, that the name change and logo change is a step in the wrong direction. I like the “foundation” better than the so called “future”. If it wasn’t for the relationship we have developed with our three sponsor children I would probably stop donating money to the CFCA now known as Unbound. I actually get irritated every time I see a piece of mail or email with the new name. Colossians 3:17 is a verse that comes to mind, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Whether it is true or not, it feels like Unbound is trying to hide their Christianity, and it looks as if they will turn into just another social justice organization. What good is feeding the hungry or helping the needed without doing it in the name of Jesus Christ, what good is it to take care of people’s physical needs without also focusing on their spiritual needs. I believe it would be better to help and love others and give the glory to God (by attaching His name to it), and those who are being helped may see the love of Christians and turn to Jesus Christ. The old name was perfect, and explained exactly what the organization was about, Christians helping Children and Aging adults, this is why we donated money to CFCA in the first place, no misunderstandings on where the money was going. The name Unbound is so vague that it could mean anything, maybe that was the point. I also don’t think anyone will look at the logo and think of a cross.

2 Timothy 1:8 “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

Thank you for your comments, Ryan. We are proud of our Christian heritage and we are in no way moving away from it. In choosing Unbound we have deliberately selected a name that goes to the heart of the Scriptures and the liberating power of the Gospel. Nothing about our work has changed. Our mission still flows, as it has from the beginning, from tenets of Catholic social teaching, especially the essential dignity of every human being and the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.

We stand on our record of service to God’s people and on the testimonials of thousands of sponsors who have told us that their relationship with their sponsored friends, and with our organization, has helped them grow in their faith. With their help, we are making a real difference in the lives of over 310,000 children, youth and elderly people in need.

Reading the above, I understand what the new name is trying to accomplish, but I find it a confusing change. “Unbound” seems to me to be half a thought, needing more to explain what it means to the existing mission. CFCA as a name was in need of a change, but I’m seeing this new name in an email and think “Who is that?…oooh yeah, that new weird name thing of CFCA”. A logo/name change that needs so much explanation to be recognized is missing something…maybe an obvious connectivity to the past? This abrupt name/logo change makes it seem that the core focus and understanding may have also has changed. So, it was disconcerting to people. (CCF/Child Fund went through a similar name change, but it was done over a period of a year, with old/new logos and names appearing side by side until the old was phased out.) Just a thought.

Dear Barbara, thank you for sharing your feedback. You may be assured that our core values and mission remain unchanged. Our new name and logo are expressions of our work to help people be free from poverty and isolation. We appreciate your support and all you do to help others live with dignity.

As many others stated, I am very disappointed in the name change and the absence of Christian or references to Christ.

I have been a sponsor for many long years but I can no longer in good conscience support an organization that seems to be embarrassed by being Christian. You seem to be in the same mindset with Christian Children’s Fund. They changed their name to Child Fund and I cancelled my sponsorship. It seems that changing the name is not about helping more children but making more money.

I am sorry to go but I will find a Christian organization to help. Be sure and tell my sponsored Child why I left.

Dear Steve, thank you for your support over these many years. We chose a name that is memorable, describes the benefits of our work and encourages people from many walks of life to join in our mission, all of which we believe will lead to more sponsors for children and elderly on our waiting list. What we do is not changing in any way. Our mission will continue to flow from tenets of Catholic social teaching, especially the preferential option for the poor and the essential dignity of every human person. We do hope you will reconsider ending your sponsorship, but if you do decide to discontinue, please know your sponsored friend will continue to receive benefits while we look for a new sponsor.
Gratefully,
Christina, Sponsor Services

I too am disappointed with the decision to remove the word ‘Christian’. I watched the video before writing this comment. The video only stated how the name and logo change was necessary to reach more in need, without any facts as to why. I fear this is another attempt to ‘deny’ Christ in name. I have ceased my support of two other organizations recently who have gone the same route, I’ll wait and pray to see if this follows.

Thank you, Dan, for sharing your concerns. We appreciate you taking time to watch Bob’s video. We believe our updated name is powerful, memorable and tells a story of our work to free people from poverty, all of which will help us find sponsors for children and elderly on our waiting list. Faith continues to be important to our organization. Unbound is rooted in the Gospel, and our mission flows from Catholic social teaching, especially the preferential option for the poor and the dignity of every person. We thank you for your support of our work and hope you will continue the relationship you have with your sponsored friend through Unbound. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, please call us at (800) 875-6564.

I have been a sponsor for many years and love the new logo and symbols found within the logo. I especially cherish the cross at the center, as it reflects the Christian core of the organization. Having seen your work in action, specifically in Honduras, I believe Unbound will continue it’s amazing impact on treating those most vulnerable with the most dignity.

As well as the symbols that have already been mentioned, the logo reminds me of a flower. One could use the analogy of a seed, plant growth, the bloom cycle, et cetera. Also, when I think of the word “unbound,” the phrase “I’m freed” comes to mind. Isn’t this what we’re doing – freeing our fellow humans from the restrictions of poverty? It doesn’t bother me at all that the word “Christian” is no longer part of the name of this wonderful organization. In fact, including “Christian” in a title can cause, however unintended, feelings of exclusivity, and we know that CFCA and now Unbound have never been exclusive of non-Christian religions. Change happens. This one’s awesome. Kudos!

I watched the video with Bob Hentzen explaining the name change and I believe him to be sincere when he says that the name change will help enhance services. However, he doesn’t say “how” this will help enhance services. It looks to me like the organization is hoping that by hiding it’s Christian identity that more people in the US will donate or that people in sponsored countries who are not friendly to Christians will stop harrassing the local workers. If that’s the case I don’t think it will work on either end unless the organization drops its Christian identity altogether. The name change appears to me to be the first step down that road.

Hi Joe, We truly thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Your passion shines through. As we look to the future, we want to help as many individuals as possible. Our goal has been and will continue to be to reach those who share our values and help us in our mission of serving the poor. Unbound continues to be an organization founded by lay Catholics and rooted in Catholic social teachings. We will continue to be grounded in those teachings and guided by our gospel call to serve the poor. We believe our updated name will allow us to reach out to more people who share these same values. If you would like to discuss your concerns please call us at (800) 875-6564. We would love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Christina, Sponsor Services

I agree that this causes me concern and yes sadness too. Unbound is a well known model of deliverance taught by Neil and Janet Lozano and many others. I wish that would have been taken into consideration before choosing your new name. More than that I lament the absence of Christ. Jesus Christ served all people without regard to their religious faith. Blessed Mother Teresa did the same. Other organizations have removed Christianity from their discussions one way or the other and now you have chosen to remove it entirely from your name. A logo is not enough. I will continue my donation despite this but each time I do it will be with a little less happiness.

Gloria, thank you for your comment and sharing your concern with us. We’re grateful for your faithful support. In choosing Unbound we wanted a name that’s memorable, stirs people’s imaginations and reflects the liberating power of the Gospel. The name has strong scriptural connections, and we believe it tells a hopeful story of freeing God’s people from poverty and isolation. In many ways, Unbound has always been part of our story. Our mission continues to flow from tenets of Catholic social teaching, especially the preferential option for the poor and the essential dignity of every person. We hope this helps provide a bit more context about our name. Thank you, once again, for all you do to help others live with dignity. Gratefully, Christina, Sponsor Services

I didn’t see the footprints until now. That is so cool. I love the new name and logo. I love the inclusiveness, the catholicity of it. It’s a one-word poem that it sums up exactly what this organization does. You don’t have to tell people you’re Christian if you behave as a Christian. God calls us to LOVE – “and they’ll know we are Christians by out love!”

What other symbols did you notice? Well, I saw the “head” part as the Eucharist and the bottom part of the symbol as the chalice. I love the symbol as it is. Who came up with the idea? Give that person a raise.

I have to say it was difficult to hear/see that our Christian beliefs are once again being attacked, and by an organization that we have helped for many years. Why does “Christian” have to be taken out—so we do not offend others with our beliefs? We will continue to sponsor the children we are now sponsoring, but will be looking elsewhere to continue helping others in the future. Our sponsorship will continue until the current year has expired. We pay for these children a year in advance.

Dear Tom and Shirley, we are so sorry you feel this way and we thank you for your sponsorship. We felt it was time to update our name and look to better represent what we do — helping people free themselves from the bonds of poverty, and connect to our scriptural roots and core values — Catholic social teaching and the gospel call to serve, at the same time. We know Christ is important to our sponsors as it is to our organization as well. Unbound is a word rooted in Isaiah and the Gospel of Luke. Unbound will continue to be a faith-based organization with strong and specific ties to the Catholic Church, but open to all faiths as we have been in the past. If you would like to discuss your concerns please call us at (800) 875-6564. We would also like for you to see this message from our founder Bob Hentzen who was instrumental in this process. http://www.hopeforafamily.org/unbound.

This makes me sad. The description of the cross makes no mention of Jesus Christ And His sacrifice for mankind. Jesus’ name should never be removed from a discussion of what the croass means. The new name of this organization saddens me. Why remove the word “Christian” from the name, except to be politically correct? How sad this is.

Dear Suzanne, thank you for sharing your concerns. We believe our updated name better represents the benefit of our work — to free people from the bonds of poverty. The name Unbound has deep scriptural roots and represents our theological base. Our updated logo contains a cross, made up of the people in the Unbound community. We believe the cross is a unifying symbol in the new logo. We assure you our organization’s core values remain the same and the work we do to help families in poverty live more dignified lives will continue. We invite you to watch Bob Hentzen’s video explaining why we chose to update our name. He was at the center of this decision and supported it 100 percent. Please go to http://www.cfcausa.org/unbound to view it. If you would like to discuss your concerns please call us at (800) 875-6564. We would love to hear from you.